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We are delighted to welcome the Great Tapestry of Scotland to Stirling Castle as part of its national tour. It is officially the largest embroidered tapestry in the world and tells the story of Scotland’s history.

Witches on trial this weekend at Dirleton Castle

19 June 2012

A recreation of the infamous North Berwick witch trials from the 16th century will be a major attraction at Dirleton Castle this Sunday.

Re-enactors will be staging a trial based on events that took place in North Berwick in 1590, when many alleged witches had confessed under torture to meeting the devil and dedicating themselves to evil.

The witches were blamed for a life-threatening storm which forced a ship carrying King James VI from Denmark to divert to Norway, where it was stranded for several weeks.

Events Interpretation Officer at Historic Scotland, Alison Stalker said: “Witch finder John Kincaid will host the trial at Dirleton, and explain how confessions were extracted from the hundreds of suspects. Visitors will be invited to form a jury and decide on the innocence or guilt of the accused.”

An alchemist will also be on site to talk about the church’s view on magic and the practices of alchemy and astrology. He will also give an insight into the working of metals and gold, and the work of an alchemist in the late 16th century.

The event, “A Witch’s Brew” on Sunday, June 24th begins at noon and runs until 4pm. Admission is included in the normal ticket price - £5 for adults, £4 concession, and £3 for children.

Entry is free to Historic Scotland members.

Photo caption

Atmospheric Dirleton Castle will host a recreation of the infamous North Berwick witch trials in a special event this Sunday.

Notes for editors:

Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with ensuring that our historic environment provides a strong foundation for a successful future for Scotland. The agency is fully accountable to Scottish Ministers and through them to the Scottish Parliament.

The Year of Creative Scotland began on January 1, 2012 and will spotlight and celebrate Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths on a world stage. Through a dynamic and exciting year-long programme of activity celebrating our world-class events, festivals, culture and heritage, the year puts Scotland’s culture and creativity in the international spotlight with a focus on cultural tourism and developing the events industry and creative sector in Scotland. More information about the programme can be found at: www.visitscotland.com/creative

The Year of Creative Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL. More information and resources to help businesses engage with Year of Creative Scotland are available at www.visitscotland.org/yearofcreativescotland-toolkit

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